NaLu Week
by JijiWrites
Summary: These are my one-shots that I have written for NaLu Week and will be published as I finish them, not during NaLu week. They are also posted on my writing blog jijiwrites.
1. Bonus- Carnival

**Carnival**

Lucy sighed and leaned back in her desk chair, resting her pen on the mostly blank paper before her.

"Ah-I'm never going to get this finished." She moaned, her head falling forwards. She was tired, bored, she had a numb butt and, worst of all, she had writer's block.

Shifting to rest her chin on her palm and her elbow on the desk, Lucy stared out of her bedroom window to the river before her. It was a quiet day in Magnolia, something she wasn't used to what with being a Mage of Fairy Tail, and she had decided to use this day to work on her novel. Levy (her friend and self appointed proofreader) was beginning to get impatient, and more importantly so was Lucy.

Sighing again, the girl got to her feet, her palms flat against the desk. She'd make herself a drink, maybe get a snack, and then-

"Hey, Lucy!"

_"Ahhhh-!"_

Lucy spun around to see Natsu, lounging in her bed with a large bag of crisps clutched in one fist. Crumbs were scattered on the duvet and trapped in the corners of his smile, which hadn't faded despite, or maybe because of, her reaction to his presence.

**"**_**Natsu!**_ _What are you doing in my house?!"_

Hadn't she locked the doors for this exact reason?

"Come on, we're going!" He told her, that same easy grin on his face, and got to his feet. Starting towards the door he dropped the crisps on the floor, the remainder of the snack strewn across her rug, and grabbed her wrist.

"Eh?! Where?!" Lucy, not strong enough to fight against his grip, was dragged through her front door with little effort from Natsu.

"The carnival!" He replied, as if that explained everything.

"_Carnival?" _Lucy shook her head. "I can't! I'm busy today! _And you shouldn't walk into people's houses and expect them to do what you want!"_

"You aren't busy; you've been sighing over the same piece of paper for half an hour." Natsu said, simply, ignoring her reprimand and leading them down to the streets of Magnolia.

_"HOW LONG WERE YOU IN MY HOUSE?!"_

The midday sun cast a kind of enchantment over the town as it glittered off the river. It wasn't the kind you could buy in a shop, or learn from a friend. It was the kind that appeared very rarely but made the day even more special for it's appearance.

Realising restating would do no good, Lucy quickened her pace until she was level with Natsu. They were following the river through the mostly empty streets. Lucy supposed everyone was at the carnival Natsu mentioned.

"What about Happy?" She asked him, curiously. Her wrist had slipped out of his grip by now and they were moving at a leisurely pace, though Lucy could see Natsu was itching to hurry up and get to the carnival.

He really was like a dog, she realised with no small amount of fondness. He needed both regular exercise and excessive amounts of food, _and _he never took no for an answer.

"Already there." Natsu answered. He was turned away from her but as she watched, his lips pulled up into a smirk. Lucy went to ask what was so funny but suddenly her hand was in his and he was running, pulling her along behind him like a petal caught up in the wake of a hurricane.

"_Natsu!" _She shrieked as she fell over her own feet attempting to keep pace with him, more shocked than annoyed, but annoyed nonetheless.

Then he turned and flashed her that bright smile, bright like so many rays of the sun, like the way chocolate milk tastes on a hot summers day, like the way she had always thought she would feel when she met the mages on her 'Perfect Boyfriend' list. She hadn't.

Lucy just smiled and laughed back at him as they ran, following the river until suddenly they turned down a side path, through the small road between a row of houses. That was where she saw the carnival.

* * *

"Food!"

"Aye!"

"_Is that all you two think about?" _Lucy puffed out a breath in exasperation as she watched Natsu and Happy raid the nearest food stall, too run ragged to follow them with any kind of excitement. They had been there a for a few hours and were only now taking a break from the rides.

One hand planted on her hip which was popped out to the side, Lucy took a moment to simply look at what was going on around them. Members of Fairy Tail wandered aimlessly, intermingled with Magnolia's citizens and for once managing to blend in. It was as quaint an evening as it had been a day. It was no longer quiet, the carnival had taken care of that, but it was peaceful. Lucy had been able to change Natsu's path enough to prevent him from colliding with Gray and Gajeel therefore fights had been infrequent, short and dealt with effectively.

Though the lights twinkled prettily at dusk, Lucy was uninterested. Her attention had been caught by a contraption, empty save for it's bald driver, a little way back from the food stall which still captivated the stomachs of Happy and Natsu. It was circular and had long, gold painted poles stretching from the top to the bottom. Attached to the poles were model horses, all with various combinations of coat, mane, tail and decoration colour. In particular she was entranced by a horse, created to appear as if it was mid-gallop, with a snow white coat and pale gold mane and tail. Around it's head was a blue circlet, complete with a feather, that matched the saddle on it's back.

"A...carousel?" Lucy murmured, curiously. Almost of their own accord her feet moved forwards, enticed by the sweet music coming from the speakers of the carousel and the vague memory of summer evenings, a carousel and and her mother. Slowly she approached the attraction, unsure as to whether she really wished to get on or not.

"Lucy?" Natsu watched the girl from over his half-empty plate of chicken, wanting to see what she was doing. Happy, beside him as always, seemed not to have noticed anything and was instead contentedly chewing his way through a fish that Natsu had yet to pay for. Still Lucy didn't turn around, apparently not having heard him, and so Natsu stood and walked to stand beside her.

"Oi." His voice was quiet, not affectionate, but neither was he truly meaning to be rude. "You...want to go on?"

"Hm?" Lucy's cheeks flushed at being caught staring. "O-oh, I-"

Where other people would have rolled their eyes and perhaps spoken, Natsu easily threw the girl over his shoulder without saying a word. This, of course, didn't go down well with Lucy, who promptly turned bright pink.

"_**Natsu! **__What are you-"_

"You wanted to go on, right?" He pointed out, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "So let's go on, moron."

Hopping onto the carousel and, grabbing on with one hand, Natsu dropped Lucy onto the saddle of the horse she had been staring at and straddled the one behind it, wrapping his arms around the pole and slumping forwards so that his neck was pressed up against the cool metal.

Lucy, sat side-saddle, curled one arm around the pole and turned in Natsu's direction, a small smile on her face.

"I think I went on a ride like this with my mother once." She told him. Her eyes were directed at him, but she was looking somewhere else, into her past where Natsu couldn't reach. Normally this would irritate Natsu, being rendered useless, unable to do anything except sit and listen. This time, however, she was talking about her mother and he understood that it was important and so he would listen, no matter how long it might take her. This was why he was surprised when she stopped, and smiled at him.

"Thank you, Natsu." Lucy said and, before she could give in to cowardice, she leaned forward and softly kissed his cheek which soon grew warm beneath her lips.

Only slightly less confident about what she had done now she had done it, Lucy slipped from the horse's back and began walking over to the food stall where Happy sat, chewing on a fish and entirely uninterested anything else. Before she got there an arm was carelessly thrown over her shoulder, an action that was comfortingly familiar to her. This time, though, she was pulled tighter into a body that smelled faintly like a bonfire, her cheek pressed up against bare skin and she smiled. Words were not needed for her to know that it was okay.

It was more than okay, she realised Natsu's other arm moved to first caress and then ruffle her hair. It was a beginning.


	2. Day 1- Gifts (1)

**Gifts**

He has given her a lot of gifts. He gave her Fairy Tail (now _that_ was one to remember). He gave her a team and friendships and a place to call home. He even uprooted a tree for her (yes, she knows it was him).

But this, by far, is the best gift he has ever given her. More than anything, this is what is precious and this is what she holds dear in her heart.

It isn't that those other things don't count because she is more than grateful. But right now, at this very moment, this final gift was the one that makes her heart sing, that makes her feel like she is invincible. Because nothing, _nothing_, can come between them now and she knows it to be true.

So here she is, reaching deep inside to try and tell him, to find the words to show that _yes_ he's right, and yes, she loves him!

But all that comes out is air and his face is falling and she can't find the words fast enough because he's turning around and he's walking away and somehow she knows that the light is following him, disappearing...and is gone.


	3. Day 1- Gifts (2) (fluffy alternate)

**Gifts**

He has given her a lot of gifts. He gave her Fairy Tail (now that was one to remember). He gave her a team and friendships and a place to call home. He even uprooted a tree for her (yes, she knows it was him).

But this, by far, is the best gift he has ever given her. More than anything, this is what is precious and this is what she holds dear in her heart.

It isn't that those other things don't count because she is more than grateful. But right now, at this very moment, this final gift was the one that makes her heart sing, that makes her feel like she is invincible. Because nothing, nothing, can come between them now and she knows it to be true.

So here she is, reaching deep inside to try and tell him, to find the words to show that yes he's right, and yes, she loves him!

Her words come softly and at first she doesn't think he hears her. But then he's moving, so fast he almost knocks her over and she barely has time to gasp before her feet are off the ground and his arms are around her waist. She feels like she's flying and it is he who gave her wings.


	4. Day 2- Vulnerable

**Vulnerable**

He never thought it would feel like this.

Like his lungs were trying to rip themselves from his chest with every scream. Or that his heart was thudding so painfully against the walls of his chest that he thought it might just cave in.

His nails clawed the ground and he paid no mind to the tear born mud that coated his fingers as he choked on the pain burst from his mouth.

But then a hand rested on his back. He didn't look up. A second hand moved to his hair and he still didn't move.

_"Natsu..."_

He trembled when she said his name, viciously biting back tears but unable to swallow them. He was supposed to be the strongest, he wanted to protect her and yet here he was, completely vulnerable, stripped bare for all to see...and yet with her it didn't seem to matter quite as much.

He found that they had shifted until his forehead rested on her shoulder, her arms around his back, and something more inside him cracked. This was him, reduced to only the most basic of everything he was, and yet she still remained by his side, needing no answers.

_"Thank you..."_


	5. Day 3- Ribbon

**Ribbon**

"Lucy?"

"Hm?" Lucy turned her head looked over at Natsu. They were laid out on the grass, a little way away from the rest of Fairy Tail with whom they were on a picnic.

"Your ribbon. It fell out." He replied, his voice soft. It was only she who needed to hear; and nobody else was close anyway, though Happy napped at Natsu's side.

"O-oh."

Lucy reached her hand up to her hair ribbon but felt Natsu's hand already there, the soft silk resting lightly on his fingertips. Lucy felt the blood rise to her cheeks and her breath catch in her throat, and she knew exactly why. It was the same reason she was now unable to meet his gaze for more than a few seconds without the same reaction, no matter what they were talking about or doing. She _liked _Natsu, and she thought some of the others were beginning to notice; Mirajane and Levy particularly.

"I'll do it." Natsu sat up, one leg bent and one stretched with his foot against his thigh, and began to tie the ribbon. He was blissfully unaware of Levy, who was now murmuring an aside to Cana over by the trees where the rest of Fairy Tail had spread out. Lucy, on the other hand, was suddenly very self

"I-it's fine, I can do it." Lucy sat up too and reached her hands up, but yet again was prevented by Natsu.

"I've got it." Surprisingly nimble, Natsu's fingers parted Lucy's hair, sending shivers up her spine, and he slipped the ribbon into place. "Is that alright?" His voice was quieter than normal, though no less cheerful. Evidently he was as oblivious to the tension as Lucy was sensitive to it.

"E-er yes! That's fine." Lucy touched the ribbon gently and gave a soft smile.

"_Lucy!" _

The moment snatched from her, Lucy looked up in horror to see that Loke had appeared in front of her...and thrown Natsu down the grassy hill on which they sat. Lucy could see his cheeks bulge even from this distance; a sure sign that he was now suffering from travel sickness.

"Natsu!" Lucy stood up as Loke sat down in preparation to proclaiming his eternal devotion, took an ill-timed step froward, and tripped over the celestial spirit.

"_WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!" _

As she tumbled down the hill, Lucy felt her ribbon come loose from her hair, leaving it long and messy and mostly stuck to her face. Now unable to see, Lucy braced herself for whatever kind of impact would surely come when she reached the bottom of the hill, and for about two seconds was pleasantly surprised to hit a warm body. That was, of course, before she rolled on top of them, carried forward by her momentum, and was immediately secured in place by two hands on her hips.

"N-Natsu?!"

Lucy squirmed uncomfortably, her hands hovering by her head. Natsu was beneath her, and now he wouldn't let her go. He was looking at her curiously, as if he was seeing her _differently _than before. Lucy's heart sped up, a combination of being this close to him and being observed so closely.

"What are you-"

Natsu reached up and hooked his finger through the tangled strands of hair that lay between them like a curtain. Tugging, he separated the hairs and it fell, tickling his face and neck where it landed.

With the same hand he touched her warm, red cheek, and frowned.

"Lucy-why are you...blushing?"

"You are too." She pointed out, her pulse thrumming in her throat as she moved her hand down and gently, with all the courage she possessed, touched his cheek. Though she may be self-confident, vain even, she had never truly been in love, or even a relationship. This was all new ground to her.

"W-what?" Natsu stuttered, suddenly nervous. What _was _this? Why was he blushing? Why was _she _blushing?

_Oh! _Pulling his hands away from her, he suddenly realised he was still, well, touching her. _That must be it!_

"A-ah, sorry!" Natsu laughed, rolling to the side, using his arms to transfer her to the grass. "I didn't notice!" He sat up and leaned back on one arm, using the other to scratch the back of his head.

Lucy was quiet, unsure as to where to go from there. Natsu being Natsu she doubted he realised how dismissive he had been, but for a moment she had thought that he liked her. That maybe what she felt for her best friend might not be the stupid sub-plot in a teenagers novel, but something _real_, something _valid. _Something reciprocated.

"I-I'm just going to fetch my ribbon." Lucy mumbled, pushing herself into a sitting position and brushing the hair out of her face.

"Oh-?" Noticing something in her voice, Natsu looked around and frowned. "Lucy? Are you alright?" Had he done something? She had been okay just a few moments ago.

"I'm fine." Lucy told him, preparing to get to her feet, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her. Rolling onto his knees, Natsu shuffled closer and peered around to try and catch her eye, but she refused to look at him, keeping her face turned away.

"_Lucy." _Natsu insisted, tugging on her elbow and finally succeeded in turning her around. In return Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, steeled her nerves, realised she had far more courage than she had previously thought, and kissed him full on the mouth.

Kissing Natsu wasn't exactly like she had thought Kissing Natsu would be like. Not that she had thought about it. Ever. It was just that, had she had any expectations (which she didn't), she wouldn't have expected this. It wasn't him, though she admitted she hadn't accurately anticipated the passion with which he kissed her back, leaving her blissfully out of breath. It was more...well...

"_EeeeEEEEE?!"_ Levy, one hand fisted with her fingers touching her mouth, pointed down the hill at her friends with the other. "Natsu and Lucy are kissing!"

"_What?!" _Mirajane took her diminutive friend by the shoulders and leaned over her head for a better look. "Oh! How adorable!"

"They took their time." Cana agreed, feigning casual disinterest though her eyes were alight with laughter. It was at this time that Makarov chose to wander over, seeing as how the beer had stopped coming once Mirajane left (a barmaid's work was never done where Fairy Tail was concerned).

"What are you ladies talking about?" He grumbled, standing in between Mirajane and Levy and Cana. When he saw what was happening his cheeks pinked and his eyes let up. "Oh! Lucy and Natsu, eh? Everybody, come on! Look!"

Loke pushed his glasses up as everyone in the guild gathered to see if it was true (nosy bastards).

"So, my sweet Lucy has found another to share her love with..." He murmured, before turning to Mirajane and winking. Mirajane sighed and buried her forehead in Levy's shoulder, who laughed.

The couple in question were currently in a dilemma. First of all, they had to recover from what exactly had just happened which was, of course, far easier for Natsu than for Lucy.

"N-Natsu-I-I-I-" She stuttered, her cheeks pink. Natsu's grin spread so wide she thought his cheeks would burst and he took her hand with a laugh.

"It's fine, see?" He said, still smiling. "Natsu and Lucy."

"_Yes but everyone is watching us." _Lucy sighed, then perked up. "Natsu and Lucy?"

"_Say cheese!" _Lucy looked up and shrieked as she saw Mirajane aiming a camera at the two of them from only a few feet away. How had she gotten so close without them noticing?!

"No pictures! My ribbon-!" Natsu ignored Lucy's protest, slung an arm around her shoulder, and put his thumb up towards the camera while the girl squirmed. Ribbons didn't matter to him but...Lucy did.


	6. Day 4- Promise (1)

**Promise**

"Close the shutters."

Levy paused and turned to Lucy.

"Lu-chan?"

"Please."

Levy reached up on her toes and tugged on the strings of the blinds as Lucy watched from her bed. Once her request had been completed, Lucy turned on her side away from the girl and curled up, her knees at her stomach and her arms wrapped around them.

She felt hollow. Empty. It was an effort to speak, much less move or _smile. _It was odd, though. All the novels had it wrong. Things hadn't changed, not really. The world wasn't black and white. She didn't stop wanting to be happy. She just...didn't feel like it. Sometimes she forgot about it completely.

Eventually her eyes closed. She didn't sleep, though she was tired, so tired, and her limbs felt incapable; like she was no longer physically able to use them.

She heard Levy close the door behind her.

Now she was alone she thought she would scream. She thought she would cry, beat her fists and hope to God that she could change something by doing that alone.

But she didn't.

She just lay there, waiting for something that would never come and breathing only for the sake of someone who could never breathe again.

"_Natsu..."_

The word came out as a whisper, riding on a sigh.

It wasn't enough. They had had a lot. But it wasn't enough.

It wasn't enough.

* * *

"_Til death do us part."_

Lucy's breath escaped her once more, but this time a peaceful smile rested on her lips and she closed her eyes. The wind whipped her hair about her face and she buried it into the fur of the sleeping blue exceed, curled up in her arms.

"_Thank you, Natsu."_

She had kept her promise this long. She had loved him and cherished him until they were parted only by the thin veil of death. But she wouldn't stop loving him. She couldn't. She had loved him too long and too hard to let go now.

It wasn't her fault, what happened to him. She knew that now. It didn't stop it hurting, but as time had passed she had began to forget that she hurt. She began to carry on with her life the way she had before he had been in it and, God, sometimes she wished she had never met him. If she hadn't then she wouldn't be in so much pain every time she caught sight of a stranger's pink hair, or heard her friends speaking in hushed whispers behind her back and a fond memory of a boy and his cat.

But then again, if she hadn't met him, then she wouldn't be half the person she was today. She would never have been as happy as she had in all the years she lived.

And so finally, after so long, she had peace.


	7. Day 4- Promise (2) (fluffy alternative)

**Promise 2.0**

"Close the shutters."

Levy paused and turned to Lucy.

"Lu-chan?"

"Please."

Levy reached up on her toes and tugged on the strings of the blinds as Lucy watched from her bed. Once her request had been completed, Lucy turned on her side away from the girl and curled up, her knees at her stomach and her arms wrapped around them.

She felt hollow. Empty. It was an effort to speak, much less move or _smile. _It was odd, though. All the novels had it wrong. Things hadn't changed, not really. The world wasn't black and white. She didn't stop wanting to be happy. She just...didn't feel like it. Sometimes she forgot about it completely.

Eventually her eyes closed. She didn't sleep, though she was tired, so tired, and her limbs felt incapable; like she was no longer physically able to use them.

She heard Levy close the door behind her.

Now she was alone she thought she would scream. She thought she would cry, beat her fists and hope to God that she could change something by doing that alone.

But she didn't.

She just lay there, waiting for something that would never come and breathing only for the sake of someone who could never breathe again.

* * *

"Get up."

Lucy looked up. As she had been every day, she was apathetic. Her eyes had lost their good humour and her face was pale. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail which lay out on the pillow, but was unbrushed and greasy.

"Natsu?"

Natsu couldn't smile, but he felt a spark of hope in the corner of his mind. As his name left her lips he heard emotion; not a lot, but just a little. She was surprised, though not quite shocked, and there was something like the beginning of self-awareness.

"Get up, I said." Natsu was still fuming, though the hope did not go away. "You've been in here for days."

"Leave me alone, Natsu." Lucy turned away, her body curled up towards the wall. She wouldn't listen to him. She didn't want to get up. She was perfectly content to lie in an eternal state of half sleep. She no longer cared for her hair or her clothes right now. She hadn't contacted her Celestial Spirits since...it. She didn't need any of that and she didn't need Natsu coming around and talking at her every five minutes.

Natsu scowled, irritated. He knew she had gotten bad but not this bad. He had only been gone a few days. A wave of guilt hit him like a punch to the stomach and to force it away he threw back Lucy's bed clothes and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder.

"N-Natsu-no!"

Though her voice was rough from disuse, she sounded more like the Lucy he remembered.

Natsu, ignoring her protests that were still a little weak, took Lucy to her bath, already full, and dropped her in fully clothed.

"Get washed and ready.." He told her, beginning to walk out of the bathroom. "Or I'll come back and do it myself."

He didn't stop to see if she was doing as she was told, instead shutting the door and walking through to the living room of the apartment. Hopefully Lucy would listen to him and get herself ready. There was no way she was staying here another minute.

Natsu opened the windows and the curtains, letting the cool air of Magnolia infiltrate the stale tang of the apartment that held the ghost of the girl he knew.

* * *

"Lucy?" Natsu knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Can I come in?"

She had been in there for over half an hour. Natsu was not a patient person, so it was an achievement he had lasted as long as he had, but now he was borderline petulant.

There was some shuffling about from behind the door.

"J-just a minute." Her voice was quiet, but she didn't sound as lifeless as she had previously. Now there was a lukewarm feel to her voice; she was not happy, but her head could be turned.

The door opened and Natsu smiled. Now that was more like it.

Lucy was dressed in denim shorts and a pale pink t-shirt with a red heart printed on the front. Her hair was washed and brushed, back to it's golden colour, and a ribbon adorned the bowed head. One arm fell limp at her side, the opposite hand wrapped tightly around her elbow.

Natsu reached an arm around her back and tugged Lucy into his chest, his smile widening though his lips remained pressed together as she buried her face into him.

"Come on. We've got to get you outside."

She looked up at him and he saw everything in her eyes, even as she parted her lips to speak.

_It hurts. There's a hole in my chest and it hurts. I don't know how to make it stop. Please...make it stop._

Natsu pressed his lips to her forehead, very deliberately choosing not to touch her mouth. Not yet, though he wished he could and had done for a long time now. But no, he wouldn't do that to her. She was still so fragile and he feared that any advances would not only break her but everything else they had.

"It's okay." His voice was quiet as he rested his hand on her head. "I know."

And he did.

* * *

"Thank you, Natsu."

"Hm?"

Natsu turned around and his eyes widened. Lucy was smiling at him.

"F-for today I mean." Her cheeks turned rosy as she realised he was staring at her. "I'm glad you did it."

They were stood outside her apartment, having spent the entire day wandering through Magnolia, to Natsu's house and back again. It had been a good day, and Lucy seemed to have perked up a bit. He was glad. He knew that this wasn't the end of anything, but maybe, just maybe, it could be a beginning.

"Good." Natsu grinned, his sharp teeth exposed in his excitement. Reaching up and in a quick show of affection put his hand on the back of her head, allowing his thumb one quick stroke of silky smooth hair, before letting it drop. "I'll see you tomorrow. Right?"

Lucy nodded and Natsu left.

* * *

It was weeks later that Natsu received his kiss. It was sweet and over within a moment, before he even had time to close his eyes. He stared at her, the girl, Lucy. The one whom he loved. He placed his hands on either side of her face and spoke in a voice like a lullaby, soft, low and quiet with words meant only for her.

"I'll always be here for you. No matter what you need. I won't pretend to understand all the time, but I'll never leave. I'll protect you. _I promise."_


	8. Day 5- Dare

**Dare**

"I need to know." He says, finally. I swallow, blood rushing in my ears. I can't breathe; it's like he has my lungs in his hand and he's _squeezing._

_"Lucy."_

I don't dare say anything, don't dare speak. My knees are shaking and I want to tell him, I swear I do, but I _can't._

I close my eyes and cover them with shaking hands, fist them so my nails bite into my palm.

_Get it together, Lucy. Just _do it.

I draw in a feeble, trembling breath and force myself to speak, my voice as small as I feel.

"_I do, _Natsu." My face is red, I can feel it, and I think I'm crying. "I'm _sorry _because _I do_, okay? I love you and I screwed up and I'm _sorry_!"

I can't look at him, but my hands are no longer covering my face. I hear him make an odd noise in the back of his throat, and I know. He doesn't believe me. I open my eyes and mouth, ready to excuse myself and leave.

I am surprised when he crosses the room in two long, easy strides and places his hand on the top of my head like it's the easiest thing in the world.

I look up and it's a shock when I see he's smiling. It isn't his usual smile, full of teeth and joy, but the smile you only see upon occasion, when he knows he should be serious and when he _knows_ you need him.

He reaches down and places his other arm around my back, hugging me tightly to him. I can hear his heartbeat, his skin is hot to the touch and the gentle rub of his scarf on my forehead comforts me.

Before I was broken. Now I crumble.

I grab his jacket tightly in both fists and I'm crying for real now; my heart aches and I don't know why because the only person I've ever loved, no matter what anyone says, has forgiven me.

"Natsu..."

We both know there's more to tell, more for us to apologise for, more for us to talk about, but I don't dare bring it up. I don't want to ruin the moment. It feels so precious, and I realise my heart is aching not because I'm sad, but because a heart filled with love is a heavy thing to bear. And we almost broke mine.

"Don't leave me." Natsu whispers, his face buried in my hair, and I'm not sure whether he really means for me to answer. "Don't you dare leave me."

And I wouldn't. Not for anything.

I wouldn't dare.


	9. Day 6- Effulgence

**Effulgence**

_Effulgence._

_Brightness...dazzling, overwhelming. _

_That was it._

_That was what I saw._

_When she smiled at me, the way she did when I walked in the door every day._

_Effulgence._

"Natsu?" Lucy tilted her head to the side, confused. "Why are you staring at me?" Tentatively she reached up and touched her cheeks. "D-do I have something on my face?"

"No." Natsu allowed his smile to escape. "You look great."

Lucy flushed red, but her face lit up. Natsu had found that her eyes wrinkled at the corners when she smiled, and upon occasion she'd bite into her soft bottom lip.

"Effulgence." He murmured to himself, his own smile growing. Leaning down he pressed his lips to her forehead, causing her to squeal in embarrassment. They were in the middle of the guild on the busiest day of the week, but Natsu didn't mind.

"W-what was that for?!" She stuttered, and he could hear her heart beating nervously, insistently.

"I like your smile."


	10. Day 7- Future

**Future**

_There was nothing worse than feeling like you had no future. No hope, nowhere to go._

_It made it hard to keep going._

_For most of her life Lucy had known exactly what she wanted, but had never been able to get it. Whether it was her father's affections or to see her mother again, it had all been just out of reach. The worst part was she could always feel it, just under her fingertips, but still she couldn't touch it. She was stranded in the middle._

_Things were different now._

_Everything she saw, everything before her seemed to lie under a rose tinted filter that she knew she hadn't put there herself. The people she loved, her friends; her family. She couldn't say they were perfect, but they were everything she had ever wanted._

_Well, that wasn't strictly true._

_Was it?_

She wasn't sure.

_The people in her life she loved dearly. They were everything to her._

_But sometimes she wondered, when she forgot herself and couldn't quite tear her eyes away from the man who should be her best friend, what there was yet to come. If anything would change._

_Whatever happened, she hoped it was good. She hoped it happened fast._

Lucy looked down with a soft smile to the pink haired dragon slayer that had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

_And she hoped it included him._

As she thought this, the girl picked up her pen and gently slid a notebook out from underneath a sleeping blue cat. Then Lucy Heartfilia began a story, about a princess and her passionate, burning love for the knight in shining armour that slayed the dragon that took her.

Her pen wobbled as the boy stirred on her shoulder.

"Lu-cy?" Sleep drew his words out as he looked up at her, endearingly bewildered. They had been on the train for some time now, though after a while he had fallen asleep, thank goodness.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Her voice was light, teasing, but not entirely false. He really was beautiful, the golden sunset streaming through the window and dripping from every facet, every eyelash and strong, angular curve of his jaw. Lucy swore she could look at him forever.

Natsu stirred again, his eyes closing again as he wrapped an arm around her and lay back across the seat, pulling her down with him so that she lay on his chest. Her notebook and pen clattered to the floor, but the cat on the other side of the closed carriage did not stir.

Too stunned to react properly, Lucy breathed in sharply but allowed it to happen. A blush formed on her cheeks as she stared at the boy beneath her, still so beautiful.

One of his eyes cracked open, and Lucy did not miss that his cheeks warmed too.

"You need to sleep too, right?" He mumbled, oddly gruff. "You're always writing. Take a break."

Lucy smiled, shifted a little to press her lips to his cheek, and settled back down with her head on his chest, their legs entangled and her avoiding his eyes.

"Thank you, Natsu."

_The future might be good. It might be great._

_The princess didn't care._

_Right here, right now, with her knight in shining armour._

_She was happy._


End file.
